Northern Legion
Northern Legion - the Crusade's Aftermath Legion's Rise and Caliphus In the aftermath of the Crimson War with the Scarlet Crusade, the Searing Crusaders regrouped in an effort to strengthen their fortifications at the reclaimed Scarlet Enclave. Seeking a replacement for their fallen leader Baldor Vograine, they travelled to Outland at the behest of their old patron. There, they tracked down the forgotten nephew of Vograine, Caliphus Vograine. After a great deal of convincing, the young and stubborn Caliphus agreed on leading the order, taking up his uncle's plight to restore the kingdom of Lordaeron. He reformed the Searing Crusade into a new order, with a name better fit for their new tasks as guardians of the reclaimed ground: the Northern Legion. With the guidance and training of Fairlan and the other Legionaires, Caliphus quickly grew into his role as leader. A new order of Templars was installed inside the Legion, led by champions Rodrik Andrigo and Encanis Lightsworn, to guide the Legionaires military and spiritually in their tasks. In addition, commanders Stoneblade and Meyes were reinstated as leaders of the military branch of the Legion. Other major figures inside the Legion included Thrakik the Night Elf, captain Lillium Ashfield, commander Coryenne Lightfire, corporal Aniha Stoneblade and "the Nameless Draenei". Determined to permanently create a space for the scattered people of Lordaeron to settle, Vograine moved his forces into the Plaguelands. In a blitz operation, the combined efforts of the Alliance, the Argent Crusade and the Northern Legion swept away the last remnants of both the Scourge and the Scarlet Crusade on the eastern reaches of the Plaguelands. With the region now steadily placed in their hands, the Legion - emboldened by their plight - named the area Eldin, after the land's mythical name in old tales. From the ruins, the settlement rose once: a shimmering bastion of hope and peace in lands once torn apart by conflict. The fort was dubbed Caer Eldin, and refugees from all over Azeroth swarmed to the city, hoping to secure themselves a permant place to settle. Inside the city, a monument was raised in remembrance of the casualties of the Crimson War. At the base of the monument, the Legionaires placed a fitting memorial to their fallen leader Baldor Vograine. All was well, as peace settled in the valley. It was not until long before trouble arrived, though. The growing power of the Forsaken was putting increased pressure on the Legion's ability to keep the city safe. Many Legionaires were lost in skirmishes that followed. In addition, an old enemy - laying dormant for a long time - escaped his ravaged prison... Kept hidden deep inside a prison in Shadowmoon Valley, Memnus Vograine - sworn nemesis of the Crusade - was all but forgotten. Over time, his powers returned to him as he meditated in his cell. Using his persuasive speeches to lower her guard, Coryenne Lightfire, his Warden, was tricked into approaching Memnus. He then used his demonic powers to stun her, stealing the magical key to his prison. He escaped, not to be heard of for a long time. 'Dactalion and the Civil War' Meanwhile, the Legion managed to battle the Forsaken forces back to their old territories. New recruits swayed to the cause, and numbers swelled. Caer Eldin grew in size and importance, as trade with the outside world grew and production of goods flourished. Among the new recruits was Lucius Dactalus, a seemingly harmless priest. As it turned out later, this proved to be very bad case of judgement. Dactalus secretly influenced the Legion, soothing their minds with words. He lamented a time of peace and prosperity; a perspective the battle-wary Legionaires were very eager to embrace. As a result, the Legionaires became careless, and rested on their laurels as darkness around them grew. In the meanwhile, more 'enthusiasts' joined the fray (who later turned out to be Twilight Hammer agents), adding to Dactalus' growing influence. As it turned out, Dactalus was in fact the Black Dragon Dactalion, send out by his dark master to crush the growing resolve of the people of Lordaeron. Shedding of his guise, the nefarious Dactalion unleashed a catastrophical civil war amongst the residents of Caer Eldin, leaving destruction and death in its wake. Rallying to their leader's calls, the remaining Legionaires united, and eventually drove out the ravaging conspirators. Unfortunantly, many of the greatest Legionaires left the order following the 'Dactalus Fiasco', denouncing their fate in regent-lord Vograine, whom they felt had failed in his task to keep Caer Eldin safe. Among the defectors were commander Rodrik Andrigo and his close friend, the "Nameless Draenei". Dactalion - licking his battlewounds - fled to the black dragon sanctuary in Dragonblight, brooding on new ways to destroy the Legion once and for all. However, Vograine proved more able than Dactalion had anticipated. In an operation both cunning and desperate, he moved his remaining soldiers into Dragonblight, besieging the black dragon santuary. Effectively cutting off all outside support for the cornered black dragons. Dactalion and his remaining minions were driven into a dark rampage, nearly decimating the Legion's numbers. In the end, the brave assault succeeded, and Dactalion was driven into the heart of the shrine. There, he allowed himself to be consumed by the flames of the earth, but not before lamenting an age of widespread destruction and chaos. His prophecy proved to be correct. The Cataclysm hit Azeroth hard. Deathwings descent shattered the World Pillar, leaving much of Azeroth in chaos and ruins. Fortunantly, the city of Caer Eldin was situated on the eastern side of the Eastern Kingdom, and as such was spared. The conflicts that arose did not leave it unscathed, however. The Forsaken were becoming evermore expansive, putting great pressure on the already diminished numbers of the Legion. 'The Return of Memnus' It was during that time that an old foe resurfaced. A ravaged, mechanical being, seething with demonic magic, approached commander Valmor Fairlan, challenges him to a duel. The surprised commander asked the stranger what his name was, and all were amazed when he answered: "I am Memnus, and I have come to destroy you once and for all." Greatly angered by the resurfacing of this old nemesis, Fairlan agreed to duel Memnus. In the climactic duel that followed, Memnus proved a great foe, but in the end he was slain by the grizzled old veteran. Something troubled Fairlan, though. His fight with Memnus felt different than when they had fought him over in Northrend. He appeared different, weaker even. Despite this, the Legionaires felt relieved that their old scourge had finally been removed, and celebrated the fall of Memnus. Caliphus looked upon it with mixed feelings, as he realized he had just lost his father, however evil the being in question might have been. Three months passed after the defeat of Memnus, when a lone stranger appeared before the gates of Caer Eldin. He was adorned in a Scarlet attire, a helmet shading his face. Introducing himself as Rufus Ferrum, he claimed to be an ambassador for the Scarlet Crusade. Seeking peace with their old nemesi, a small compartiment of 'enlightened' Scarlet Crusaders had send Ferrum to negotiate a truce. The Legionaires, tired of battle and seeking soldiers to refill their battlelines, agreed. The Crusaders joined the Legion's diminished numbers, while Ferrum continued to fullfil his roll as negotiator between the two orders. He also proved a capable advisor to regent-lord Vograine, quickly winning his trust in the campaigns that followed. More time passed, as the pressure on the order grew larger. Discovering the 'betrayal' of Ferrum and his enlightened Scarlet brethren, the Scarlet Crusade cut off all contact with the group, locking themselves up in their last bastions in the Tirisfal Glades. As a result, the Forsaken had little difficulties marching into the Plaguelands, sending wave after wave of skirmishes into the Caer Eldin's territories. Many Legionaires were lost in the catastrophical battles that ensued. Amongst them was esteemed commander Valmor Fairlan, who was last seen leading his regiment deep into Forsaken battle lines. The Legionaires mourned greatly for his supposed demise, although they did not know for certain whether or not he had been lost. Times were grave for the order indeed. Luckily for the Legion, however, the Forsaken were stupid enough to launch an attack on the nation of Gilneas and the town of Southshore similtanously. Although this invasion was catastrophic for the peoples of Gilneas and Southshore, it gave the Eldini (as the citizens of Caer Eldin called themselves) some relief in their campaigns. They immediatly send ambassadors to their human brethren, striking an alliance between the three of them. It was during this interim that Ferrum showed his true face. Confident that his aid had given him enough credit not to be killed on the spot, he revealed himself to be Memnus, whom the Legionaires believed they had slain four months earlier. Enraged, the Legionaires cornered Memnus, determined to finish the job. However, this is when Caliphus Vograine stepped forward, telling his soldiers to hold their swords, allowing Memnus to explain himself. Memnus told the story of when he and the Searing Crusade were still at war. During the heat of the conflict, Memnus kidnapped his brother Baldor, hoping to draw out the Crusaders and crush them in one glorious battle. However, he made the mistake of stealing his brother's favored axe, Thunderstream - the ancient Vograine clan heirloom. This ancient artefact actually had a will on its own, and started drawing on Memnus' dark powers. After an extended period of time, the axe had leeched so much fel energy, it had been transformed into a corrupted version of Thunderstream -- Felstream. Although the axe proved a powerful asset to Memnus' plight, in the end, it also proved to be his downfall. When he was separated from the axe during the final battle with the Crusade, it dawned upon Memnus that the axe had in fact stolen many of his powers. He felt drained, but he also witnessed another estranging emotion; guilt. This was when he was overpowered, and eventually jailed in Shadowmoon Valley. In the aftermath of the battle, the Crusaders confiscated Felstream, and not knowing what to do with it, they took it with them to the Eastern Kingdoms. There, it was locked tightly inside the Cathedral of Caer Eldin, until Caliphus finally stumbled upon it. Hoping to restore the axe to its former glory, he shattered the cursed weapon, then had it reforged by the dwarves of Ironforge. Unknowingly to him, he had in fact salvaged his father's soul in the process. Memnus, now walking free after his escape from Shadowmoon Valley, was wandering around, seeking to reclaim his powers. But when the axe that had contained his dark powers was shattered, it split his soul into two pieces, creating two apparitions that battled for supermacy. The 'good' Memnus was overpowered, but luckily for him, the 'evil' apparition decided it was best to challenge Valmor Fairlan to a duel, so to destroy his nemesis once and for all. When this apparition was slain, all that was left of Memnus was his 'good' side, purged of all demonic blemishes. All of this he told the Legionaires, who were of course hesitant to believe him. Many of them had witnessed the atrocities that were commited by him firsthand. Yet in the end, it was decided Memnus should be given a chance to redeem himself, 'Into hostile territories' Determinded to give his father a chance to redeem himself, Caliphus gave Memnus the rank of General. Grudingly, the other Legionaires accepted Memnus' command, and followed him into the Arathi Highlands. Seeking to weaken the Forsaken's resolve from the other side, the Legion cooperated with the former denizens of Hillsbrad, and created a hole in the defences of the Forsaken front inside Hillsbrad. From there on, they marched into Silverpine forest, where they met with the Gilneas Liberation Front. In a series of succesful attacks, Memnus and his batallion ravaged through Silverpine, creating chaos and diversion within the Forsaken ranks. Is was not until long before they were met with heavy resistance however, as they tried to fight their way into the Tirisfal Glades to free the fallen capital. Seeking to relief Memnus' batallion, Caliphus had sent out captain Lillium Ashfield, who lead a small cohort of Legionaires through the Western Plaguelands. There, they attacked the Forsaken forces guarding the borders, giving Memnus and his soldiers a chance to slip through the southern front. Realising they were heavily outnumbered, Memnus then ordered his troops to retreat back to Caer Eldin. Although the campaign had not been entirely succesful, it gave the Legionaires and their southern allies some relief from the constant batterings of the Forsaken warmachine. In addition, they had managed to strengthen their morale, which had been at an all-time low since the 'Dactalus Fiasco'. But in the end, all the Legion's exploits would prove to be in vain. Soon enough, a major disaster would befall the city they had so valiantly fought to protect. The dawn of fire was upon them.